Trump trial jury selection process follows a familiar pattern with an unpredictable outcomeThursday afternoon highs in the low 90s in some areas
The Capitol is seen in Washington, Monday, July 31, 2017. Most Senate Democrats and independents said Aug. 1, that upcoming legislation to rewrite the tax code should make sure the middle class doesn’t pay more. They won’t support any upcoming GOP effort to overhaul the U.S. tax code that delivers tax cuts to “the top 1 percent” or adds to the government’s $20 trillion debt. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The Latest on the budget battle. More than enough senators have voted to advance bill ending government shutdown, vote still underway. Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote. Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown. Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.” Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan. 10:35 a.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he hopes and intends to resolve immigration and a host of other issues by early February in an effort to come to bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government. Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed temporary funding bill to reopen the government through Feb. 16. A pending Senate measure would last through Feb. 8. Opening the Senate Monday, McConnell said that if they could not find bipartisan solutions on immigration, military spending, disaster aid and other issues by the Feb. 8 deadline then he would hold a vote on those matters. Top Democrat Chuck Schumer did not appear on the floor to respond. Several members of both parties met Monday morning to try and resolve the shutdown mess. __ 10:25 a.m. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is defending President Donald Trump’s lack of outreach to Democratic lawmakers during the government shutdown. Mulvaney discussed the shutdown on MSNBC Monday morning. Trump did not speak with any Democratic senators over the weekend. Asked why, Mulvaney said Trump spoke with Democrats before the shutdown and will speak to them when it is over. But he says: “we are not going to negotiate immigration in the middle of the shutdown.”